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Smurfit golf course at The K Club in Ireland: A championship Arnold Palmer design in its own right

STRAFFAN, County Kildare, Ireland -- The 7,277-yard Palmer Smurfit Course at the Kildare Hotel, Spa & Country Club -- also known as The K Club -- hasn't gotten the exposure in America that has shined upon the Palmer Course, host of the 2006 Ryder Cup Matches. But the Smurfit is a championship Arnold Palmer design in its own right, hosting the Smurfit European Open from 1995-2007.

At the time, it was the longest golf course on the European Tour. The Smurfit plays several shots tougher than its sister course. Everything is super-sized, from the fairways to the large sloping greens.

Water and large bunkers with spines sprawling in all directions can make a mess of a scorecard, especially on the back nine. Wind can be more of a factor because the site has less trees than the Palmer and is more exposed. The two par 5s on the front nine, No. 3 and No. 7, play 600 yards along a canyon filled with water. The two toughest par 4s on the course, No. 13 and No. 16, are protected by ponds off the tee and streams crossing the front of the green.

The 18th finishes the round off in style, a monster par 5 that bends left to an island green.

K Club - Smurfit golf gourse - No. 7

The par-5 seventh at The K Club's Smurfit Course is a scenic spot.

Courtesy of The K Club

K Club - Smurfit golf gourse - clubhouse

The Smurfit clubhouse acts as the private clubhouse for K Club members.

Courtesy of The K Club

K Club - Smurfit golf gourse - No. 8

The par-3 eighth hole on the Smurfit golf course at the K Club is well protected.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf

K Club - Smurfit golf gourse - No. 9

The par-4 ninth on the Smurfit Course at The K Club is the No. 2 handicap.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf

K Club - Smurfit golf gourse - No. 15

The tee shot at No. 15 on the Smurfit Course at The K Club must avoid water.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf

K Club - Smurfit golf gourse - No. 16

The 16th on the Smurfit golf course at The K Club is water logged.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf

K Club - Smurfit golf gourse - No. 17

The par-3 17th on the Smurfit Course at The K Club plays downhill over water.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf

K Club - Smurfit golf gourse - 18th green

The green on the par-5 18th at The K Club's Smurfit Course is tough to reach in two.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf

The K Club hotel

The Kildare Hotel, Spa & Country Club -- the elegant resort of The K Club -- shimmers in the setting sun.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf

K Club - artwork

Admiring art, like this statue, is one of the draws of staying at The K Club.

Courtesy of The K Club

K Spa at The K Club

Couples can relax in this treatment room at the K Spa at The K Club.

Courtesy of The K Club

K Club - hotel room

You'll feel like a king or queen in the elegantly decorated rooms in The K Club hotel.

Enjoy one night bed & breakfast in a deluxe guestroom at the Heritage Golf & Spa Resort, with an evening meal in the Arlington restaurant and a round of golf on the 18-hole, Seve Ballesteros-designed course. Guests have complimentary access to the health club with leisure pool, a 5-kilometer walking track, tennis court and Trim Trail.